Nomi and Hannah
Nomi Teutsch
Nomi Teutsch grew up in a vibrant, diverse neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia. A 23-year old progressive Jewish activist, she attended Akiba Hebrew Academy before going on to major in Philosophy at Wesleyan University.
She has worked with a number of non-profit organisations including the Center for Constitutional Rights, Encounter, J Street and Shining Hope for Communities.
As a volunteer, she has worked with incarcerated women in Connecticut as well as led campus activism around issues of violence against women.
Fluent in Hebrew, Nomi loves to travel, to discuss ideas, to make music and to hear other peoples’ stories. She is thrilled to be a 2011-2012 Faiths Act Fellow.
Hannah Shirey
Hannah is a 21-year-old Christian and 2011 graduate of Colgate University with a degree in Anthropology and Middle Eastern and Islamic Civilizations Studies.
Hannah was raised in a Christian family and her faith has been shaped by Jesus’ call to social justice and compassion. However, she does not find faith to be mutually exclusive and therefore works to understand and appreciate values and practices from a wide range of traditions.
Hannah’s life was altered by the tragedy of September 11th, which forced her to acknowledge the pain that is caused by cultural and religious misunderstandings. This realisation ultimately led Hannah to study in Morocco, learn the Arabic language, and work to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Hannah has also been influenced by the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, which is a call to partner with God to “repair the world.” She is thrilled to live, work and make new friends in New York City for the next year.
UNITED SIKHS - New York City, US
UNITED SIKHS is a UN-affiliated international non-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organisation, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the world
Blogs
Posted on 13/02/2012Nomi and I realized from a very early point in our friendship that we share a common text other than the Hebrew scriptures.-
Posted on 20/12/2011Faith Communities have many roles to play in the 21st Century.
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Posted on 08/12/2011Hannah Shirey explains what the season of Advent means to her.
